Reflections of a Startup

Learning Better ADs February 27, 2021 This week I learned how to make Google Ads better. Google Ads allows for 3 headlines and more subtext. Having 3 headlines can draw more attention to your ad. The extra text can allow for further information about what you have to offer. Those ideas alone can help, but I also learned some other aspects that can help write an effective ad. The thing that I focused most on improving my ads with was a call to action. If you are selling something, add an “Buy Now” in you ad. If you offer a service that, add a “Call Now” in there instead. Whatever you want the end result to be of them clicking on your ad or visiting your website, just call them to action right there in the ad.  The other two ideas that struck me were to make sure you highlight what makes your company different or unique, and if you have any promotions (such as free shipping, or a percent off). The goal is to make people know why they should choose you, and convince them to follow thr...

Learning Google Ads February 20, 2021 So the business idea, model, and legal mumbo jumbo have been decided. A website has been created. How do we get consumers to the store front?  Advertisement. In a brick and mortar store, some advertisement is good, but people in the area will also simply see the store if you are in a good location. The web has so many stores, the chances of someone stumbling onto yours is not very likely. So, advertisement is necessary. There are plenty of companies that will happily advertise for you, but for a fee. Or, you can learn how to run your own Google Ads campaign. It’s not as hard as you would think. The key is keywords.  Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. What would you search for if you were interesting in what your business has to offer? Start there. Then, Google has a keyword finder that helps you find other related keywords, how often those words are searched for, and even how much is typically costs to use that keyword. These features ...

   Learning the Legal Stuff February 13, 2021 This week I researched and learned all about the legal mumbo jumbo. I learned more about corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and sole proprietorships. I also learned about sales tax, when it is required and when it is not.  I'm not going to really focus on the tax part. It varies too much from location to location, and product to product. However, the basics of what needs to be known before choosing a business formation is simple. The advantage to a sole proprietorship over all is that they are easier to set up. The disadvantage is the liability. All the other business formation types separate business and personal. That means the debt stays with the company, not you. It also means if someone sues you, they can only attack the company, not you and your personal assets. So, if your company has more than a very low liability risk, form something other than a sole proprietorship.  One more quick note, if you are going to form ...

 Learning the Guidelines February 6, 2021 This week I researched what kind of website designs I like, and ones I do not. I found that a clean and simple site really spoke to me. I feel there are benefits to clean and simple past being aesthetically pleasing. First of all, simple sites tend to load faster. Also, they are usually easier to navigate.    No matter how you choose to design your site though, make sure you are consistent between pages. Make the navigation obvious. Personally, I also think there should be some kind of about me/us page. People like to know the people they are working with. I feel almost all web-based businesses should have even a small about me/us.   I also learned this week how to go about creating and placing a Paypal button on your website for sales. I feel there are advantages to using Paypal. The biggest advantage is that people trust Paypal. The biggest disadvantage though is that not everyone has a Paypal account, and they cannot use t...